Pen Pals
by Tempted Melibea
Summary: There is a new assignment at Wammy’s, and every child is supposed to participate. The assignment involves secret pen pals, and it seems like L is out to annoy the two top students at Wammy’s House…
1. Prologue: L Builds a Puzzle

Title: Pen Pals

Summary: There is a new assignment at Wammy's, and every child is supposed to participate. The assignment involves secret pen pals, and it seems like L is out to annoy the two top students at Wammy's House…

Rating: PG-13, possibly for language

WARNING: Before we start, I consider it wise to warn my readers that I, Melibea, have a thing for the pairing of Mello and Near. This may not reflect in my writing, as I don't believe I have planned to make this into a MelloxNear or NearxMello fic; but then again, considering my predilection, there is a small chance that this might eventually have something of that pairing. The chance is small, but it is there, so I believe it would be best if I just told everyone here and now. I also like MattxMello. (–Hints-).

This also contains SPOILERS for obvious reasons, but it also contains spoilers of the very last Death Note manga episode. The extra one. (You may read it at mangafox—that's what I did).

Now, let's begin, shall we?

* * *

Prologue: L Builds a Puzzle

There was the soft clatter of paperwork as the administrator of Wammy's House made his office ready for L's visit. Said detective had, as was expected, claimed it all to be unnecessary; he had been visiting Roger's office since he had been but a small child, and there was no reason for the elderly man to tidy up for him now that he was a detective. Seeing the mess of test results and student IDs gave L a welcome reminder of his childhood. So the detective didn't really mind, no. Roger, of course, disagreed. This was the three world's greatest detectives, for Christ's sake.

"María! Quickly!" the administrator shouted over Mello and Near's last test results. It took a few precious seconds for María, a handsome woman of about twenty-nine, to walk into Roger's office.

"What is it, Roger?" María asked. There were no formalities at Wammy's House.

"Is he here?" Roger asked expectantly. "Has L arrived?"

"Not yet," María said with a huff. She seemed annoyed. "Honestly, Roger, I don't think it's good for your health to get like this. I don't understand why that L couldn't just tell you a few days earlier that he has coming…"

"Show more respect, María!" Roger warned as he shooed the woman with one hand, sending her back to the task of waiting for both L and Watari to arrive. "This is L we're talking about, he does as he sees best!"

The woman named María rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Roger. Just don't get a heart attack."

She left, leaving Roger to wonder whether or not he had time to organize yesterday's test scores in alphabetical order or if he should just toss them into the archive and leave the organizing for later. The man stood there, looking at the paperwork anxiously, and then started reading through the names anxiously. "Linda, Mello, Rester, Matt…" Had he even saved the scores to his computer yet or would he have to take all the files back out later…?

"Roger, he's here!" María's voice interrupted the older man's thoughts, causing him to nearly let go of the papers he was holding and leave them on the floor. The floor…

In a quick movement, Roger took all the papers on his desk and swiftly tucked them below it. There was no time to run to the archives just beside the doorway. "Tell them to come in, María! Don't keep L and Watari waiting!"

Roger then sat on his chair, took a quick look below his desk to make sure no paperwork was showing on the other side, and briefly alternated between having his elbows on the wooden surface of his desk or merely leaving his arms limp at his sides. He had chosen the former just a small second before L had come in, Watari following close behind him.

"Watari and L are here, Roger," María said with a neutral tone, following the two men as soon as they entered the room. It was a mere formality, something to help L not have to deal with greetings. The man was a little more than a bit socially awkward. Watari smiled.

"Thank you, María. You may leave now," Roger said. María nodded, and soon enough, they were alone in the room.

"So, L," Roger's voice was calm and serious, as if he had not been in a panic just moments before. In front of him, L was crouching on his seat, Watari standing by him even though there was another seat next to L. The elderly man carried a medium-sized brown bag with him; as Roger spoke, he opened it. "To what do I owe this visit?"

L waited before replying. He was looking at Watari attentively. It came to no surprise to Roger that his colleague soon took out from his bag a pre-sliced piece of strawberry cheese cake inside a plastic wrap, spoon and dish already secured inside the plastic. Watari then unwrapped the treat, and gave it to L, who took it eagerly. Roger waited patiently as L put the first spoonful of cake into his mouth, and then the genius spoke in his nonchalant voice.

"It has come to my attention, Roger, that the children here have all been doing extra well in your exams since I last spoke to them."

"Oh, yes. They have all been even more dedicated since then, L," Roger said proudly. He remembered that incident fondly—L, having found enough time after solving a rather interesting case, had instructed Roger to take all the orphans into the common room, where he spoke to them through a laptop. The children had been ecstatic, more so when they discovered that L was allowing them to ask him questions. Even Near and Mello, though on the outside indifferent, had taken something from this experience. Mello had taken to studying harder, be even more determined; Near had begun to participate, though rarely, in class.

"It was, I must say, a success in that respect; I was certain that even those who disagreed with my reasons for solving crimes would take that as a reason to wish to replace me more than ever. However, it did not help me choose the child I would believe more equipped to be my successor. It narrowed down my results, yes"—another bite—"but I am still torn between two children. So I come here with another experiment I wish to propose to you."

"Go on," Roger said, accepting a cake from Watari out of courtesy even though it would go uneaten. The cake was chocolate, and it looked nice. Yet Watari knew as well as Roger himself that Roger was diabetic.

"What would you say if we started a game, of sorts, for the children? Let them practice their detective work in a safe environment. I am quite sure it would also be fun for them, if it is true that they all wish to be detectives. They have certainly earned to have some fun."

There was a pause as L ate some more, but Roger was getting too curious to be very patient. "Go on."

"I believe the term is 'pen pals'. We have the children send each other letters. Of course, to make this into a detective game, we need instructions—and a goal. So how about this? We have each child try to figure out which one of the other children is the one sending and receiving their letters. So the children are forced to practice both concealment and sleuthing techniques: both important requirements in a detective. The first child to figure out who their 'pen pal' is, without getting caught, wins."

Roger had to fight back a smile. L was a genius, and this was a great idea, but it was also an idea that the children would undoubtedly find fun, if presented as a game and not yet another assignment. And what better way to learn how to be a detective than through practice?

"Your ideas are brilliant as always, L," Roger said. He would know, of course. L had been one of his first students, almost fifteen years ago, when he had first become an Ethology professor at Wammy's. He had been the one student with the most insight he had met in his career; at the time, he had only been eight.

"Thank you. I have but one request." L's voice was still calm and emotionless, but Roger could tell this was of great importance to him.

"Whatever you wish, L," Roger said. L's word at Wammy's House was the equivalent of Law.

"Make sure to pair all students randomly. All, but for one exception." There was a pause in which L gulped what was left of his cake. Watari was already ready with a bag of chocolate chip cookies. "I want Near and Mello to be paired together. That is my one condition. Needless to say, you may not inform them of my choice."

"I—of course, L," Roger agreed. Mello would not be happy about this. He would undoubtedly suspect him of doing it in purpose. The man sighed. If this was what L thought would be best, then so be it. He didn't fail to see the convenience behind him.

"L? Shall we go?" Watari then said kindly. Roger then knew that their little talk was over.

"Yes, Watari." L stood up. He and Watari walked to the door, but L stopped before going through it. "Roger?"

Roger looked up. "Yes, L?"

"I have been told that the student Mello has recently acquired a fixation with chocolate? If you do not want that cake, you can always give it to him. But say nothing about me. I was not supposed to be here today."

Ah. So that had been the reason for the chocolate. "I see. Thank you, L. I will give him the cake."

It took a mere second and then Roger was left alone in his office again.

* * *

Author's Note: Well? What do you think? I'm rather nervous, as this will be the first (real?—drabbles don't count?) Death Note fanfic I have ever written and posted on . It will also be the first work of fiction (short or no) I have written featuring the Wammy children. (I had once tried—"tried" being the key word here—to write a Death Note drabble with Misa, for those who are interested). I hope I'm doing well. I think I rather like this idea. Hopefully, no one has done it before. (If it's been done, then my apologies to the author!)

Another note and then I'm done: Roger and L refer to a previews "meeting" between L and the Wammy children in which the orphans get to meet L through a computer. I don't want to spoil anyone, so I won't say why I pointed that out. But if you know why I'm bringing this up, you get a cookie! (Or half an hour with the Death Note character of your choice :P).


	2. Chapter One: The Task

A/N: Sorry for the late update! I'm afraid I've been quite busy lately. I hope this chapter is long enough to make up for its tardiness.

Also, thank you all SO much for the reviews, and the faves. These kinds of things mean a lot to a fanfiction writer. I hope I won't disappoint any of you!

Now, on to the first chapter.

* * *

Chapter One: The Task

_Kyaaa! _The hypnotizing sound of a pokemon about to die.

"—tt."

Oh, yes. This was it. He was finally going to capture the ever-elusive Magneton _now_!

"—att!"

_Click. Click._ Yes, good job, Pikachu! Now he only needed to look in his backpack for a pokeball and then—

"MATT!"

The redhead in question jumped, causing his fingers to press buttons he didn't want to. A horrifying sound reached his ears through the earphones.

"Ah!! Mello, you made me run away!" Matt accused angrily.

"Who the fuck _cares_, Matt?" the blond boy said, shaking his best friend until his earphones fell off. "Have you even been in _class_?"

"No, I had skipped it so I could _play this game_!" Matt all but shouted at him, taking Mello's hands off him and standing up as fast as he could. He considered throwing his Game Boy, but then decided against it. "And now you made me fail, Mello! All for _nothing_!"

"That's what you get for skipping class, then!" Mello shouted back. "God, I don't get it. I really have no fucking idea how the hell it is you manage to be number three when you're so goddamn indifferent!"

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you care…?" A pause, then realization. "You're angrier than usual, aren't you?" he asked. He didn't voice the obvious question ('Did Near outsmart you again?') only because he was a genius, and he knew that would only piss off Mello even more. He was, of course, right about that. There was one thing he forgot, however: Mello also hated having people state the obvious.

"Whatever gave you _that _idea?" Mello growled at him. Matt had almost been sure he'd throw his Game Boy away, but Mello surprisingly controlled himself and instead muttered, "Where the fuck is my damn chocolate when I need it?"

"Oh… Here," Matt said, tossing him a chocolate bar from the stash the redhead kept under his bed. Matt was not exactly fond of chocolate; Mello had managed to get him sick of it just by having the redhead watch him eat it all the time his best friend was nearby. That did not mean he had no reason to stock some of the addictive sweet in his own bedroom, however. The sweet substance was sometimes needed to calm down a certain blond or to cheer him up. Chocolate was definitely needed in situations like this one.

Mello, being Mello, quickly unwrapped the bar and took a rather big bite without even thanking the boy who had, only three minutes earlier, been playing peacefully on his bed. But Matt didn't mind. The fact that Mello took the chocolate without glaring angrily at him was, to him, enough of a 'thank you'.

"So…" Matt began. He had forced himself to wait until Mello had at least finished half his chocolate before he tried to make Mello talk. "Mind telling me what's got you so pissed off this time?"

Mello glared at him, but only half angry this time. He took another bite of chocolate before replying. "It's Roger. He had the professors make an announcement today. We're supposed to all go to the common room tonight before going to bed."

"Oh. Well, that's inconvenient," Matt said. He had made plans for tonight: Play Station until the early hours of the morning, and then maybe try to hack Roger's laptop again. A meeting would force him to cancel his plans. A meeting would— Would… A sudden thought lifted his spirits. "You think it's because we're getting to meet L again?"

Mello kept quiet, taking what was left of his chocolate into his eager mouth. He threw himself into Matt's bed and stared at the ceiling contemplatively. _Could _it be L the reason why they were being called to the common room? That was not very likely. It might have been almost two years since L's little 'conference', but Mello remembered the circumstances clearly; they had been told about L nearly four days in advance during dinner, and not afterwards. So L couldn't be the reason why they were being called to the common room tonight. It had to be something much, much worse.

"No, Matt. I don't think it's L. They have to be plotting something, I just know it. I don't have a good feeling about this little gathering."

"What do you think it is, then?" Matt asked, but he had already stopped paying attention. 'Common room before bed': that was all he needed to know. Matt was not impatient like Mello; he could wait until the actual meeting to learn what it would be all about. The only thing Matt was ever impatient about was videogames, and right now Mello was preventing him from playing one. He started eyeing his fallen Game Boy discreetly.

"I don't know, Matt!" Mello all but yelled at him. Matt sighed and gave him another chocolate bar, which Mello quietly opened up. "Probably something that benefits _Near_. You know how Roger is…"

"Yeah, yeah, always playing favorites with Near," Matt agreed half-heartedly. He didn't have to think much of what Mello said anymore once the subject came to Near. He had heard it all before, when it came to the blond and his obsessions. "But there's nothing you can do, right? Only wait for the evening like everyone else. So, um, Mello, would you mind if I…?"

The redhead motioned towards the Game Boy that was currently lying on the floor, causing Mello to grunt angrily. Mello did not, however, open his mouth to say anything against Matt's playing, and the gamer took that as permission enough. "I'm about to finish it, don't worry. Then we can do something fun together."

Mello rolled his eyes. "Matt. The last time _you _said we were going to do something fun together, I ended up being killed by you about a dozen times in a videogame."

"And the last time _you _said we were going to do something fun together, we ended up stalking Near for almost _six hours_." Matt tried not to laugh as he said it. While it was true that he had been pissed at Mello during the time of their 'stalking', looking back now, it had been pretty freaking hilarious.

"We have to know our enemy!" Mello defended himself, his face suddenly bright red. "Know our enemy, Matt! We learnt loads that day!"

"Mello, that boy didn't even so much as move from his place in the floor even after you threw that chocolate wrapper at him. I am not about to stare at Near playing his games for six hours and then follow him when he goes to the bathroom. That's just creepy. We couldn't even talk."

Mello choked on his chocolate bar.

XxX

It felt like an eternity until it was finally time for dinner. Matt had to withstand Mello's anxious fretting and angry behavior all throughout the afternoon, giving him chocolate every half an hour or so to keep him relatively peaceful. He had spent most of his time playing videogames and trying to convince Mello that it was not a good idea to try to hack Roger's computer during the day (it was very unlikely that they would learn anything that way, anyway). Meanwhile, Mello had done his best trying to concentrate in studying and homework. Needless to say, the emotional preteen had failed, and Matt was dragged by his blond best friend to the dining room half an hour early.

They were now probably only a few minutes away before all the children were called to the common room. Almost all the children had finished eating. The slower ones who still had food on their plates were currently being glared at by Mello, who had viciously devoured all his food within the first seven minutes.

"Oh, come on! Eat your food, will you!?" Mello shouted at Michael, a seven-year old orphan who was playing with his food. The young boy stared at Mello fearfully before quickly eating what was left in his plate. Matt laughed a little.

"Ah, Mello, you've always been a bit on the crazy side."

But Mello wasn't listening to him. He was too busy being impatient.

Matt was about to suggest to Mello that he should maybe eat some more chocolate when Roger's assistant, María, arrived, causing all the children in the dining room to fall silent. Most students had looked up to see her, except for Near (as Mello quickly noticed and informed Matt about with annoyance).

"Stop focusing on Near for a moment," Matt whispered back, but it was more to get Mello angrier and less because he found it annoying.

"Good evening, students," María said with a warm smile to the silent and expectant room. "I trust you have all eaten? Roger is waiting for you in the common room."

There was the sound of chairs moving as all the children got up. Some of the smaller ones started running happily to the common room. Matt was not surprised when he saw Mello running, too.

"Come on, Matt! Hurry up!" he yelled to his best friend as he made it through the door. Matt sighed and attempted not to chuckle, but started walking faster anyway.

The common room was not a big place, but it wasn't small either. It was just big enough for around twenty children and two adults to be comfortable. There were no chairs, only a toy box, so the children always had to sit on the wooden floor. They were used to it, however, and didn't mind. Roger remained standing up.

Mello had been the first one to arrive, anxious as always to get to places before anyone else. Needless to say, he shouldn't have bothered. Roger refused to say anything until the very last child came to the room. That last child, the last one to arrive, just so happened to be Near. Mello hated the way Near sat in a far corner of the room and took out a few puzzles from the toy box to play with; he made it seem like he was not interested in what was going on at all.

Mello, to Matt's dislike, sat as close to Roger as it was possible without being too obvious. Matt could understand why he did it, though. The last time the Wammy orphans were all sent to the common room, it had been to talk to L. Mello hadn't, at that time, really shown much interest for the detective. He hadn't been one to be interested in anything that Wammy's House had to offer back then. But _now_, Mello wanted to be L's successor. He had been given a chance, there was the possibility that he might become L one day—and he wanted to show Roger, wanted to show anyone who cared enough, that he had changed his mind. He wanted to be L's successor now. He had changed, if not for the best, at least for the better.

Matt sat on the floor by his best friend, even though he would have much preferred to sit somewhere less visible. He was not foolish enough to believe he would be less noticed if he sat somewhere else; but maybe if he had sat in the back of the room—perhaps behind Samuel, the fattest kid in the orphanage—he would have been able to manage a few minutes of playing Pokemon without being caught.

Roger cleared his throat. "I trust you have all been told by your professors to come here… _Matt_." Matt let out a short laugh before giving Roger an apologizing grin. So he knew already. "But you still do not know why you're here. I will give you a chance to practice your detective skills: do any of you know why you have all been called here?"

Mello's hand nearly jumped out of his body, followed by the hands of at least three others. Roger nodded at Mello, smiling.

"It's a new assignment. An important one. It has to be." Mello, as always, was going with his instinct to answer. He had been thinking a lot about possible causes for this meeting, and even though, surely, there were a lot of answers that were more likely, not one other possibility had appealed to him like this one. And also – should he risk it? – "This has got to have something to do with L."

The old manager of Wammy's House nodded, satisfied. "That was very good, Mello. Yes, you are quite close."

Mello tensed, and Matt could feel it. The gamer let out a low, almost inaudible sigh. _Roger, damn it, don't you know that 'quite close' is never enough for him?_

"Any other guesses, children? Mello was extremely close." Mello's eyes inevitably traveled to the back of the room, anxiously waiting for Near to raise his hand or say something; but he never did, and Mello felt relieved.

Roger waited a few moments, but then it was obvious that no other student could elaborate on what Mello had already said. "What you said is essentially true, Mello," Roger said, giving a warm smile at the boy who just never seemed to be good enough. "You only needed more detail, and to elaborate more on why you reached that conclusion. I believe the professors have pointed that out to you before." Mello didn't say anything.

"Moving on, now to tell you why you are all really here. Just as Mello said, it is an assignment, of sorts. This one, however, will be done for fun." There was a whispering of students at this. "You children deserve it. We have seen how well you have been doing in your studies, so it is about time we let you have a game where your rank won't be affected if you lose. This game will help you practice your detective skills, as— Yes, what _is_ it, Matt?"

Matt, who had been raising his hand for some time now, spoke up. "If this is a game, does this mean that it is optional to play it?"

Roger stopped himself from rolling his eyes with some difficulty. "No, Matt. You must all play this game."

"Then it won't be for fun for those of us who want to play, will it?" Matt asked innocently. Roger raised an eyebrow.

"_As _I was saying, this will be a great chance to help you practice your detective skills without the stress of having your ranking affected. The entire purpose of it is to have fun, but also—and more importantly—to _practice _your skills, which is why we must ask that you all participate.

"Now, what does this game consist of? It is quite simple. Each of you will be writing anonymous letters to another anonymous student, chosen randomly—whether the letters are written by hand or not, is up to you; but they must be written down on paper. Each letter will be placed in an envelope, with your pseudonym and the pseudonym of the person to whom you are sending the letter, and given to María,"—the Latina, who had been standing in a corner, waved a hand at that—"who will make sure the letter reaches its recipient. You have three hours to pick your pseudonym until tonight at 11 PM. María will be in the common room until then with a sheet of paper to write down each of your names along with your pseudonyms.

I advise you to be very selective of which pseudonym you choose for yourself. The point of this game is to discover the identity of the person you are sending letters to; keep in mind that the recipient of your letters will be trying to do the same. Which means that each of you will hide at the same time you will be trying to learn the identity of the other. This is important for detective work, and important for this game. The person who first discovers the identity of the sender and receiver of their letters, without being caught, will win the game. I trust you do not need an additional incentive to do your best. Are there any questions?"

There was a small pause in which all the children were quiet, quickly absorbing all the information. Then the only girl at Wammy's House, Linda, raised her hand. "Will we still have tests and classes during this period of time, Roger?"

"Good question, Linda. Yes, you will continue to be expected to study for tests and take classes. Being able to handle more than just schoolwork is very important and I believe that it should be practiced. You will, however, be excused from any lectures taking place tomorrow morning, since you will be going to sleep later than usual. We realize that most of you still need your rest."

A few students groaned at that (Mello included) while others cheered quietly.

"Is there a time limit for completing this task?" Mello asked Roger, not bothering to raise his hand.

"No. We are going to allow you to take as much time as you need and want."

Mello nodded, and Matt already knew that he had set himself a time limit anyway. The blond boy was likely to have promised himself to finish this 'game' before the weekend was over.

There was a small moment of silence in which Roger waited but no other student asked a question. Soon enough, Roger said, "If none of you have any more questions, I will leave you to choosing your pseudonyms. Please remember to inform María of the name of your choice before going to bed. Good night."

Mello grabbed Matt by the wrist and dragged him out of the common room as soon as Roger walked out the door.

"Did you hear that? They're having us compete!"

Matt raised an eyebrow. "They said it was a _game_, Mello."

"Oh, come on! None of us is stupid enough to fall for that. This must have something to do with L."

Matt smirked. Of course he wasn't stupid; it was a little too obvious by the way that Roger had emphasized that this was a game for them to believe that it was nothing more than that. Still, he liked to push his best friend's buttons. "You know you're growing paranoid, Mello." That remark left him with a punch to his gut.

"So… what pseudonym are you going to choose?" Matt asked, after he had gotten back some of his air. He was still covering his belly with his arms, just in case Mello decided to hit him again. The blond was known to be unpredictable.

"Like I'd ever tell _you_. These things are supposed to remain secret, you know."

"Ah, whatever. I think I'll choose Awesome-Man. It sounds totally awesome. I don't mind it if we end up as pen pals and you find me out that way. I don't think I care to win or not."

Mello raised an eyebrow. "Awesome-Man?"

Matt shrugged. "Gamer-Boy would be too obvious."

"Matt… You have _got _to pick a better name than that."

A roll of Matt's eyes was Mello's only answer. That was so like Matt, the blond thought—he never really cared enough to put much effort. He was entirely unlike Mello. But maybe it was _because _Matt never cared enough that he and Mello could be friends. And Mello had this strange feeling—this horrible, paranoid feeling—that, if only Matt applied himself more… Mello might be forced to start complaining about being number three.

It was thoughts like this one that kept the blond boy awake at night.

"If you think Awesome-Man is such a horrible idea, what kind of pseudonym will _you _pick? Come on, you can tell me. I promise I won't tell."

Mello stared. Matt's lack of ambition was unnerving sometimes, but it was also truly a blessing. He sighed. "I don't know, Matt. This is the kind of thing that needs to be chosen _carefully_. I have to pick something that identifies me in some way, but nothing too obvious. Needless to say, I shouldn't just choose the first thing that comes to my mind…"

"How about you let me choose a name for you?" Matt asked.

"Excuse me?"

"I can choose a name for you. We don't think alike, so it'll be harder for your… Um, your pen pal. It'll be harder for your pen pal to figure out who the person behind the pseudonym is."

Mello's eyes widened. "Matt… Matt, that is a great idea."

"I have been told I'm a genius, you know," Matt said with a big grin. "So, how about it?"

"Well… We should—we could try it. Just give me a couple of names, just to see if it's a good idea."

"Hmm. Okay," Matt agreed, then his smile grew mischievous. "How about Sexy-Man? Or maybe Mr. Smex…"

"Ma-ATT!"

"Okay, okay! Really, I was thinking something more along the lines of Blue."

"…Blue?"

"Yeah. Blue. You have wicked awesome blue-ish eyes, you know. You're not the only one here that has 'em, but you can _still_ use it as something that describes you. And blue is such a peaceful color… I doubt anyone here at Wammy's would associate it with you."

"Matt… That's freaking awesome," Mello said, his blue eyes shining with mischievous excitement. "They'll all have the answer right in their face… Well, _my_ face, anyway. And yet there's no way in hell they'll associate me with _Blue!_"

"What did I tell you? I'm not number three for nothing," said Matt proudly. "So will you take it?"

"Yeah, sure, Matt. Blue it is, then."

"Awesome."

They hurried back to the common room, where most of the Wammy children were still trying to decide on names. Near was there, as well; but he seemed to be more interested in his toys than in choosing a pseudonym, at the moment.

"María! We have our pseudonyms! Quick—has anyone else chosen theirs?"

"Oh, hello, Mello. No, I can't say anyone has. Near seems to be taking his time tonight," María said, her kind smile reaching her big brown eyes. Matt often said that María was sort of like Mello. They both got angry easily, but when they weren't angry, they were worth the trouble. The woman had been Roger's assistant for two years now, and she had proven to be nice enough, especially to Mello. No one really could resist Mello when he was in a good enough mood.

"Good," said Mello happily. "I guess Matt and I were first this time."

"That's really nice. Congratulations, Mello. I'll just write down your names… I really hope you chose carefully."

"Yeah, we did," Mello said. Then he lowered his tone, and looked around suspiciously before getting closer to María's face. "I'll be 'Blue', okay?" he said, his tone just above a whisper. "And Matt will be—Tell yours, Matt."

"'Awesome-Man!'" Matt whispered cheerfully. "Because I'm awesome! Get it? It has a little dash in the middle, by the way. Makes it more hardcore."

"Didn't you know you were supposed to keep your pseudonyms a secret?" María asked them, but not in a reprimanding way. It was expected of Matt and Mello to tell each other their pseudonyms, anyway.

"Oh, sorry. We must be awful detectives, María," Matt joked. Mello was not amused.

"We are _not_! But there is only a five percent chance that we might be paired off with each other—"

"—and we've already settled that, if that were to happen, I would allow Mello to win."

María gave out an exasperated sigh. "I don't think that's fair to the other students. Let's just hope you don't end up being pen pals."

"Five percent cha-ance!" Matt sung, and his voice got so loud that some of the children nearby sent stares his way.

"Okay, okay, _por Dios_, Matt, calm down!" María said. Then she turned towards Mello and lowered her voice. "I have some chocolate cake for you, Mello. Go to the kitchen tomorrow and ask Robert for it, alright?"

"Oh, María, you're the best!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, off you go now!" She shooed them away before the two best friends could get any more hyper.

"Alright! I got chocolate cake!" Mello shouted as soon as they were out of the common room's hearing range.

"Awesome," said Matt, who was already thinking about his videogames. "What time is it?"

"I don't think even an hour has passed. So what do you wanna do?"

"Play Pokemon, _of course_. Or do you want to try and hack Roger's laptop again?"

Mello considered it. "I'm not in the mood for hacking tonight, actually. I think I'm just going to watch you play."

xXx

"Roger, are you certain?" María asked. Of course, she could think of a certain blond who would not be fond of this decision.

"Yes, I am afraid these were L's instructions. There is really nothing we can do."

"So Mello… _Blue_… will really have to be paired with—"

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

There was the sound of typing as Roger sealed the two children's fate.

XxX

It was almost eleven in the morning and it was not like Mello could continue sleeping any longer. He had to get dressed, wake up Matt, eat some chocolate (and then maybe breakfast), and try to read at least one chapter from his new Sociology book before going to class at 12:30 PM. The blue-eyed blond had gone to sleep almost at three in the morning, after having watched Matt play so many videogames that he had been almost as sure that he would end up falling asleep on the boy's bed as he was sure he was going to end up having nightmares of Packman trying to eat his brains out. Mello was lucky that he had been able to find the energy to go back to his room in the end.

He made his way to the bathroom, completely unaware of the envelope that had been slipped below his door a few hours earlier. What did he have to do today? He had Ethics and three hours of Independent Study, then he had promised Matt that he would take a break from studying and spend some time with him and _not_ spy on Near. Not like he had been spying…

Mello spit his toothpaste after his second idea of how to convince Matt to study instead of fool around went, almost literally, down the drain. There was just no way Matt would believe that Mello had a disease in which he would drool all over if he didn't use at least half of his brain power.

"What the hell…?" He whispered to himself after finally getting out of the bathroom and finding the mysterious envelope on the floor. He picked it up and opened it. "Blue,"—he read, and quickly skimmed over most of the boring words. "We are pleased to announce that… This activity is vital in order to... Sincerest hopes that you… Blah, blah, blah… And… Oh, here it is!

"It is our pleasure to announce that a 'pen pal' has been chosen for you. This choice is made randomly and is not affected by rank, gender, age or any other possible condition. The 'pen pal' that has been chosen for you, Blue, is— What the fuck? What the hell kinda name is _that _supposed to be?"

Written (or rather drawn) on the paper was a single, rather plainly drawn smiling face.

* * *

A/N: Well? What do you think? Please tell me in a review! Tips on how to improve this will be greatly appreciated, as well as anything else you might want to throw at me!


	3. Chapter Two: The First Two Letters

A/N: Okay. Two things should be said before I continue with this chapter. The first one being: I apologize for the delay. Really. You've all been so kind; you deserve more diligence on my part. I will try to make my next chapter come out sooner, but I am afraid I can't promise anything, as the next chapter might be even harder for me than this one! Secondly, I must admit that I am not being very funny here (and this _was _labeled a humor fic). The only thing I can say to defend myself is that I have an odd sense of humor and am known to laugh at little or insignificant things. But let's see if I can make this funnier, shall we?

That being said, thank you all SO much for all your kind reviews. You rock. I'm grateful.

* * *

Chapter Two: The First Two Letters

Mello stared at the sheet of paper and its contents stared back. Smiling, of all things. _Smiling_.

"What… The… Fuck."

The smiling face said nothing; it merely stared back.

"What the fuck, it can't be—God _damn _it!" Mello began again angrily, speaking faster this time as he quickly changed from his pajamas to his black baggy clothes and made his way to the door. "MATT!" He shouted, as soon as he got to the hallway. But he knew it was of no use: Matt, lazy as he was, probably was still sleeping. Mello also knew, conveniently enough, that the gamer never left the door to his room locked, precisely for situations like this one. So when the infuriated blond reached Matt's room at the end of the hallway, he didn't even bother to knock on the door. He just slammed it right open.

"Matt, damn it, wake up!" Mello shouted. The low groan that came from under the mess of green and white bed sheets told him that Matt had heard him. He tried again. "Wake UP, Matt!"

"'m wakin' up, 'm wakin' up…" Matt began, but only held the sheets closer to himself and curled his body into a comfortable ball. "…time is't?"

Mello rolled his eyes. "Time for you to wake up! Honestly, Matt! This is important! Matt—You haven't seen your letter yet, have you?" Mello looked around the floor, and found Matt's letter under his foot. He picked it up. "You haven't seen your letter,"—he repeated—"but you _have to_, Matt, it's important. Open it! Open it, because I think—oh, no…" Matt didn't so much as move as Mello hurriedly tore the envelope of Matt's letter without bothering to ask for permission. Mello _had_ to know; he couldn't just wait for Matt to wake up. "Your pen pal's Calais," he informed Matt. "Holy fuck, Matt, your pen pal's name is _Calais_!"

Matt groaned again. "I heard you the first time, Mello." And then Matt groaned for a third time when Mello punched him awake.

"What _is _it!?" Matt yelled. Mello ignored him.

"_Calais_, Matt! You know, a normal name! Your pen pal has a normal name, you have a normal name, _I _have a normal name—"

"Excuse me," Matt interrupted. "But I think that 'Awesome-Man' is anything but just a normal—"

Mello wasn't listening. "Everyone, everyone who's even slightly _normal_ has a normal name…"

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Since when are you normal?"

"…so who would actually be _insane _enough to put… to put _that _as a pseudonym!? That… that _thing_!? You know what I'm saying, Matt!? Think! You know what I'm _saying_!?"

"Not really, Mello. No."

"I'm _saying_," Mello continued, taking his crumpled letter out of his pocket and shoving it to Matt's face. "That I got a fucking _smiling face _for a pen pal, and just who is deranged enough to do that? Just _who_, Matt!?"

Matt, the sleepy number three student of Wammy's House, finally began to catch on. "Oh, hell no, Mello. You can't possibly be paranoid enough to—"

"I'll tell you who! It's _Near_," Mello said, causing Matt to wish he was five years old again so he could cry out of exasperation. There was just no _way_… "This is all a set up, Matt! Roger planned this! You know how he's always against me, he just _had_ to pair me with Near!"

"Mello… Oh, come on," Matt began. He had risen himself to a sitting position and was now slowly rubbing his temples, trying to think of a way to persuade his best friend from being so overly paranoid. There was no way it could be good for him. "You know that can't be right. You're just being paranoid. That face could be from anyone. You know Near's not the only nut job around here…"

"He might not be the only one, but he's the biggest freak," Mello insisted. "Matt, think about it. Three out of four pseudonyms in this… This _mad house _were just average names. Names with _words_.Wammy's House has twenty students; that means the owner of that stupid smiling face must be one of the top five students at Wammy's—one of the top twenty-five percent. Considering you and I are the third and second best respectively, and we both chose relatively normal pseudonyms…"

"I chose your pseudonym, remember? And I don't give a damn like the rest of you do," Matt reminded his best friend. "I don't know, Mello, I think you're jumping to conclusions again. You're too paranoid for your own good. I know Linda likes to draw… Why can't you suspect Linda?"

Mello stopped, trying to reflect for a moment at Matt's words, but it was useless. "Because… Linda just doesn't… Linda doesn't _feel _right. It just doesn't feel like the answer. Near feels like the answer. Don't you see?"

"Yeah, you're a fairly intuitive person," Matt agreed with a yawn. He then proceeded to stretch himself. "But just remember that it's your being so reliant on your hunches what's gotten you into trouble in classes before. If you just show up at Roger's door and tell him you think Near's your pen pal because it 'feels right', I don't think it's likely he'll take you seriously."

There was a moment of silence in which Mello seemed to have realized the craziness of his suspicions and Matt had gotten up to go to his bathroom. That moment didn't last long, however, because as soon as Matt got inside the bathroom and dropped his pants, the redhead heard Mello through the open door.

"If I don't hurry up, it'll be Near who'll tell Roger and win. I'm might as well do it before he does, if he hasn't already. I'm going to tell Roger."

"Oh, fuck, no!" Matt whispered to himself and tried to readjust his pants as quickly as possible, trying to run out of his bathroom and catch Mello before he did something stupid, and tripping in the process. "Mello!" he shouted. "Get back here!" But it was too late. Mello had gone out the door and Matt hadn't so much as washed his face yet. There was a moment of indecision before he decided that the priority right now was to stop Mello from doing something he'd regret. Cursing under his morning breath, he went out the door as well.

XxX

"Good morning, Near! Did you sleep well?" asked Stefan, official chef at Wammy's House and also professor of the Culinary Arts elective course. With him was Linda, helpful as always. (It was not only Near who suspected the girl might be having a childish crush on the older man). The nine-year old girl smiled at Near and waved shyly.

"Good morning. Yes, I slept well," Near replied, sitting himself in his odd yet comfortable position, one knee close to his face. In his hand, there was Optimus Prime. They would be having breakfast together. "Could I maybe have some cereal with milk?"

Stefan let out a fake sigh. "Cereal again? Sometimes, I think this child believes that I became a chef to serve cereal," he said to no one in particular, then turned around to get the milk and hide the amused smile on his face. 'Kids and their simple pleasures', he thought. They were all the same despite their level of intelligence.

"Have you been awake long, Near?" Linda asked while Stefan looked for the brand he knew was Near's favorite cereal. "I woke up at around nine in the morning, and I'm already regretting it. Ha ha…"

"They did keep us awake later than usual," Near agreed. He was looking at Optimus without any interest. "I woke up less than an hour ago."

"Ooh, so have you read your letter?"

"No," Near said simply. Truly, he hadn't. The boy had noticed his letter on the floor as he was changing to a new set of white pajamas, and had decided to leave it there for the time being. He already knew who his 'pen pal' was; clearly, he would be paired against Mello in order to make this little project useful for both L and Roger. But Near had decided to allow himself a bit of more time to think of any possible pseudonyms Mello might have chosen. It could prove to be an amusing thing to think over while he was doing his puzzles. Near knew that Mello was not stupid, so anything related to chocolate was obviously out of the question. Perhaps he would choose the name of a pagan god, or a Judeo-Christian mythological being instead. Or maybe he would choose something more obscure, like a random name of a minor character in a book…?

"Here you go, child," Stefan said with a smile, forcing Near out of his quiet contemplation. He handed Near his breakfast, and the child was not surprised to find slices of fresh strawberries artistically decorating his bowl of Cheerios.

"Thank you," the boy said, and proceeded to take his spoon and hopefully finish his meal in silence. This being Wammy's House, of course he had no chance. The spoon did not so much as reach Near's lips when they all heard Mello's yelling.

"Goddamn it, Matt! Let _go_!"

"No! You _can't_!"

"Fuck! You want him to _win_!?"

"I'm doing this for you, you idiot!"

Stefan and Linda both looked at each other in surprise. What could those two be fighting about now? Near was less confused: he already had a pretty decent idea of what Matt and Mello could be arguing about.

"Professor, should we intervene…?" Linda asked, looking quite concerned. Stefan wasn't sure how to answer. What were those two crazy kids _doing_?

Roger's office was just in the next hallway, so it wasn't long before they reached the front of the open kitchen doors. "Let—_go_!" Mello yelled with frustration. As they passed through the corridor in front of the kitchen, Stefan and Linda could see that Matt had somehow attached himself to Mello's leg, forcing the blond to slowly drag him along the floor as he tried to move forward with all his strength.

"No!" Matt shouted back. "Damn it, Mello, let's go back! I gotta _pee_!"

"Leave me alone, then!"

"Oh, dear…" Stefan whispered before gathering his courage and running out of the kitchen in order to face the two fiends. "Hey! _Hey_! You two, what do you think you're doing over there!? Matt! What are you doing still in your pajamas!?"

"He started it!" One of them argued.

"Well, end it! The both of you! Honestly! Do you want me to get Roger!?"

To Stefan's surprise, Mello answered. "Yes! That is exactly what I want!"

"Ah!! Don't listen to him, Stefan, he hasn't had his chocolate yet!"

Back in the kitchen, Linda sighed. "I guess those two will never stay out of trouble, huh, Near?"

Near did not answer. He was too busy trying to ignore the noise so he could eat his breakfast in peace.

xXx

Along passed seven hours, forty seven minutes, and what he estimated to be around thirty seconds, and Mello had still not spoken to Matt since the last incident.

He had waited anxiously through most of the day for Near to send him a letter. This had resulted in him not being able to fully concentrate in any of his classes, which in turn ended with having Mello in a bad mood and blaming Near yet again for his consistent failure. He was also angry at Matt, of course; because, in the end, he had succeeded in convincing him not to tell Roger of his suspicions. Not like it was a bad idea: the old man had it against him, anyway. It was likely that he wouldn't have listened to him without 'real proof', no matter how right Mello was. And Mello _knew_ he was right. So basically, to summarize, Mello was right and he was angry at Matt, at Near and at Roger because, well, they each knew what they did.

It was now almost 8:00 PM, and Mello had finally given in to his impatience. If the fucking _smiling face_ wouldn't send him a letter, he would just have to send one instead. But what would he write about without making it obvious that it was him and, more importantly, without having Near realize that Mello knew who he was? That was the problem, and Mello didn't like problems. He was locked inside his room, sitting on his desk and determined to fix it.

He decided it would be best to write two letters.

The first letter would be a completely fake one. Just to himself, a way to take out most of his feelings without actually screwing up. In it, Mello would write to the s_miling face_ and let him know that he knew he was Near. He drew the face, then a comma, and then...

--

_Or should I say Near? You fuckface, you complete weirdo. Ha! I, Blue, know who you are! You didn't even have to write to me. I just _knew_. So who's number two _now_, fuckface!? HA HA!_

_Go die,_

_#1 MELLO (Yeah, that's right!) _

--

The rest of the first fake letter ended up consisting of badly drawn images of Mello as L's number one successor and a crying stick figure that slightly resembled Near.

Then came the second, this time real letter. This one would actually be more difficult, because Mello would have to actually hide his emotions and maybe even—oh, fuck—be polite to Near. And just what would he say in a letter like _that?_ 'Hello, smiling face, nice to meet you…?' That was very unlikely. Yet he had to try.

The blond boy mentally cursed at his luck once he realized that he couldn't get Matt to write the letter for him, seeing as how he was angry at him. This made his first plan completely useless. He couldn't have Matt writing for him, and he couldn't just _act_ like he didn't know it was Near, and fuck, would Near be able to tell that it was Mello writing to him just by noticing his inability to wait for another day to write to him.

"No, that's nonsense," Mello told himself. Of course he would be expected to write to him. There were other Wammy children as diligent as he was.

Time slowly passed by, and Mello started to get impatient. "It's almost nine already," he grunted. "This is so annoying, why won't the words just write themselves!? I can't take this!" Mello angrily threw his sheet of paper and his pencil against the wall. "That's it. I'm getting some chocolate."

It had been Mello's original plan to save the piece of cake María had offered him for celebrating _after_ he had defeated Near in their upcoming World History test. But Mello was impatient. Consequently, (like so many of his well thought-out plans) his decision was changed at the last minute because of his continuous frustration. The blond boy made his way to the kitchen, sulking angrily as he went. There should be no one on kitchen duty tonight; dinner had been almost two hours ago and most students went to sleep early at night. Matt was usually the last one to fall asleep at around 2:00 A.M. each night. Mello refused to stay up with him past midnight, since it was important for him to be awake for all classes.

He passed the library as he walked through the solitary hallways, and involuntarily winced at the sight of the three boys studying in the room. Mello recognized Olson, Preston and Dennis from the Advanced Calculus course. He remembered Matt say they had a test tomorrow morning, and wondered just how much the redhead had studied before he quickly remembered he was mad at the boy anyway. And besides, Mello hated math. He might be good at it, but he found it boring as hell.

Mello continued his walk until he reached the kitchen, and was horrified to find that it was not empty. A very white, very unwelcome figure was currently sitting on a chair and drinking a glass of equally white milk. Mello mentally cursed as Near sipped his milk quietly, paying no attention to the new arrival as he was currently busy staring at some invisible spot in the air. There was a sheet of paper loosely held in his hand.

Mello hesitated; but then decided to enter the kitchen, anyway, as he really needed that cake. He made no eye contact with Near as he marched towards the kitchen, both uncomfortable and angry. If the stupid brat refused to acknowledge him, he could not be at fault for acting the same way.

Near didn't ignore Mello for long, to the older boy's dismay. As soon as the blond had found his piece of cake in the industrial-sized refrigerator, the other opened his mouth to speak. "I heard you almost got sent to Roger's again, Mello," the white boy said, shifting his hand to reach a lock of his hair as he spoke. He had still not looked at Mello, but it was not like Mello would know: he was not looking at Near, either. "Did something happen today that bothered you?"

The older boy froze, hand still grabbing the refrigerator door he had been about to close. It took him half a second to remember what he was up against, and then he closed the door as casually as he could and tried his best not to tighten his fists. "Not like it's any business of yours, _Near_"—he spat out the name with hatred—"but if you must know, I had a problem with Matt's lack of dedication to his classes. Nothing concerning me or my studies, unfortunately enough for _you_."

"That makes sense," Near said. The grasp on his letter tightened, and he had to lower his face to conceal a faint mischievous smile. He should not have bothered, however, for Mello was too busy raiding the cupboard for more chocolate. "You should tell Matt to make extra effort, since he is your friend. He spends too much time on his Game Boy…"

"_You_ spend too much time with your toys."

"…And that can't be helping his concentration. Playing with those Pokemon. I have no idea why Roger let him have both the Red and the… Purple version, was it? the Christmas before last. He's supposed to help us learn, not to give us distractions."

There was a triumphant grin on Mello's face when he found an entire box full of Hershey bars. It was a grin that widened even more when he realized that Near had made a mistake, and Mello even laughed a little. "It's the Red and _Blue_ version, not Purple. Geez, there is no such thing as a Purple version. And he's playing Pokemon _Crystal _now. Shows how much youknow!"

Securing the box full of chocolate bars with one arm and holding his cake with his other free hand, Mello walked out of the kitchen triumphantly and resisted the impulse to look at Near. It was a good thing he didn't look, for Nears own smile had broadened slightly; he was quietly laughing at some sort of secret joke.

The three Calculus students were _still_ studying in the library when Mello got back and Mello quietly thanked his luck that he had decided not to take that class this trimester. He had taken Pre-Calculus with Matt not a few months ago, and was currently taking a well-deserved break. It was not that the course would be something he could fail at—but mathematics, to Mello, was just such a boring subject that did not seem to have anything to do with elective work and could simply be avoided altogether. Perhaps Mello would do just that. There were no required courses at Wammy's. Strongly encouraged courses, perhaps; but in the end, what the student chose to study was entirely up to him or her. This was one of the few things Mello actually loved about the place. The never-ending supply of chocolate made the list as well.

"Stupid Matt probably hasn't studied a thing yet," Mello muttered, and that was as good excuse as any to go visit the gaming addict. Mello would just have to forgive him until he found a new best friend. At least, that is what he kept telling himself; but somehow, he never was able to find a better friend than Matt.

He walked back to the hallway where both his and Matt's rooms were located and stopped on the door in front of Matt's, making his footsteps louder as he grew nearer. Then he shook the doorknob noisily for a few seconds before entering. He was Mello, he wasn't about to knock on the door—but he still didn't want to repeat last month's incident, when he had suddenly gone through the door only to find Matt touching himself.

"Geez, Mello, you'll never let me live it down, will you?" Matt—who was obviously getting tired of Mello's special precautions whenever he entered Matt's bedroom at night—was glued to his Game Boy like always; but this time, Mello noticed that there were also some Calculus books scattered around the floor. The redhead was obviously taking one of his three-hour breaks. "I said I lock the door now."

Mello rolled his eyes, throwing the box he was carrying on the floor and sitting on the edge of Matt's bed so he could eat his cake. Matt was sitting on the floor, his back against the bed for comfort. The sounds that came from his best friend's handheld gaming console told Mello that he was currently playing The Legend of Zelda. "Yeah, yeah, Matt. Whatever. I only came here to make sure that you were studying, and you are _not_."

Matt didn't look a bit ashamed as he shrugged his shoulders. "I was studying a few minutes ago. You just missed it."

"I don't give a fuck! Do you have any idea how hard those other guys are studying in the library!? They're going to beat your score! Don't you _care_? Your rank will go down!"

"Relaaax, Mello," Matt said, and he actually paused his game to give him a smile and a wink. "I work best under pressure."

Mello was exasperated. "You can't just _cram_! You'll forget half the things you learned! Then what will happen if you ever get a chance of being L? What if I die? You'll disappoint everyone!"

"Then I'll just have to spend the rest of my life trying to make sure that you don't die. Don't worry so much, mate. I have no intentions of being L version three or four or whatever."

There was a silence in which Mello viciously ate his chocolate cake, savoring the taste as he tried to force himself not to grow anxious over a test that wasn't even his. He had more important things to think about. He had to consider what he would write to Near. "Hey, Matt," Mello began, causing the gamer to pause his game again. "What have you written to that Calais guy? I'm in a serious need for inspiration."

Matt looked at him. "I, uh… Haven't really gotten down to writing anything. But I got a letter this afternoon. You can read it, it's on my desk. I don't mind." Then he un-paused the game in a silent gesture that Mello interpreted as permission to make himself at home.

It was one of Mello's pet peeves that Matt had a cluttered desk. The blond was not exactly a patient with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder—but _damn_ did Matt have a cluttered desk. It was obvious enough that he hardly studied; and that, if he ever had to, he could just use the floor. Mello, on the other hand, had everything in his room unorganized except for his desk. His desk was sacred, his studying sanctuary. Matt's desk was more like his studying dump.

"God, Matt, you left your half-eaten Pop-Tarts here," the blond complained, looking over Matt's trash so he could find his letter. He eventually found it half buried underneath a pair of dirty underwear.

"Don't throw them away. Maybe they're still good," was Matt's reply. Mello ignored him. He read the letter.

Calais's letter was… generic. A '_Hello, Awesome-Man. My name is Calais, nice to meet you._' kind of thing. It was clear that the writer was not very sure about what he was doing. They probably feared overdoing it, just like Mello did. Only this time, it was obvious. There was no way Near could be Calais.

"You know what would be funny? If I copied this word for word," Mello said. He was half-joking, but he did have a point. As he realized this, his face lit up. "Hey, Matt! Let me borrow a pen and a sheet of paper!"

Matt answered through what sounded like a sword slicing something. "Uh, sure. Look around."

Mello did look around, gave up, went to his bedroom and then came back with what he needed. Then he used one of Matt's discarded textbooks for a desk and began to write, word for word, what the insecure Calais had written. He only changed the names. "Well, _this_ will confuse him," Mello muttered under his breath, a grin on his face. "Be right back, Matt. I gotta find María. I've got to have her send this to Near first thing in the morning."

"'S not Near," Matt reminded his friend, too absorbed in his game to get even slightly frustrated.

"Of course it is," Mello replied. And this time, he was more confident to be running against him. This time, he could win.

* * *

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Death Note fan who has to write Near for the first time must feel intimidated and afraid. Or maybe that is just me. This chapter had a bit more Near than the last one—and, although it wasn't too much, I'm just not sure how I did it. Thoughts…? Any and all reviews will be greatly appreciated. :D


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